Study Finds New Correlation between Postdischarge Follow-Up and 30-Day Readmission Risk

​Any follow-up with a primary care physician within seven days of discharge from a hospital was associated with a reduced risk of 30-day readmission for patients being treated by the medicine service, according to a January 2017 research letter in JAMA Internal Medicine. Follow-up visits did not have an effect on readmission risk for surgical patients. In order to determine whether a 20-minute post–hospital discharge follow-up (POSH) visit could reduce risk of 30-day readmission, the authors studied a sample of 71,231 Medicare Advantage patients who were discharged from 14 hospitals in the same system between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2014. Patients who completed an outpatient visit within seven days of discharge had a 12% to 24% lower risk of 30-day readmission when compared with the entire study population.